Month: October 2003

The amazing controversy over General Boykin’s comments continue. As mentioned previously, one of the comments he made was this one:
“Why are terrorists out to destroy the United States? They’re after us because we’re a Christian nation.”

Was he wrong? The evidence says he wasn’t. The most recent Osama bin Laden tape quotes bin Laden as urging a holy war against American “crusaders” (a reference to the European Crusades in the early part of the last millennium.)

So, tell me. Why are the Generals comments so offensive? According to MSNBC and the LA Times, the truth is wrong.

General Boykin is still being attacked for having Christian beliefs. MSNBC published this indictment, “Despite repeated questions at a Pentagon press conference, [Secretary of Defense, Donald] Rumsfeld declined to condemn Boykin’s statements or to say whether he would take any action.”

Notice the inference. According to the wording, Donald Rumsfeld should be expected to take some action against General Boykin – apparently for the General stating his Christian based beliefs in a Christian church to a Christian audience.

Now the not so Reverend Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State has jumped in to criticize General Boykin. This should once and for all discredit the so-called reverend. If he really was for separation of Church and State, he would criticize news agencies for attacking religious speech made in a church. Instead he criticized the General (again, for making religious speech in a church.)

Clearly, Barry Lynn is a liar. He is more concerned with limiting freedom of religion than in separating Church and State.

It seems General William Boykin committed the unforgivable sin (to the secular world) of relating his religious beliefs to current events. General Boykin said he believes George W. Bush is in office “because God put him there for a time such as this.”
One of his most egregious statements seems to be, “Why are terrorists out to destroy the United States? They’re after us because we’re a Christian nation.”

In response NBC News military analyst Bill Arkin said, “I think that it is not only at odds with what the president believes, but it is a dangerous, extreme and pernicious view that really has no place.”

So let me get this straight. In a country that has a Constitutional Amendment protecting the right to freely practice one’s religion, General Boykin’s religious view of the world has no place?

Stunning.

It seems Mr. Arkin and his ilk believe in selective Constitutional enforcement. That is we must defend freedom of the press to the death, but freedom of religion? Apparently not so important for Arkin.

Kelly Huston, the place kick holder for the University of Nebraska football team was suspended for one game for punching a University of Missouri fan after last Saturday’s game.

It is difficult to figure out if the University of Nebraska believes Huston did anything wrong. The Cornhuskers coach said, “I truly believe that Kellen did not instigate the situation and that he was simply reacting to what he saw as a dangerous situation coming right at him.”

The athletic director followed up with, “I would never claim that hitting someone is appropriate, but I was not standing in Kellen Huston’s shoes on Saturday night.”

So what is it? It sounds like the “I didn’t kick your dog…besides, it bit me” defense. In this case, Huston shouldn’t hit a fan, but the fan deserved it according to Nebraska. Typical.

Denver seems to be the epicenter of Columbus Day protests. Every year now its the same thing,
“Columbus committed genocide”, “Columbus was a rapist”. Even the Denver Post allows its writer’s to publish factually incorrect stories in saying that Columbus was arrested for allegations of brutality. He was sent back to Spain in chains (probably for disappointment in lack of gold coming back for the New World) but was released with apologies from the King and Queen of Spain.

The bias against Columbus is amazing. It really does come down to hate of Western culture.

The Spaniards did come as conquerors. This was not unique in world history. True, the natives in Latin America were wiped out. Partly due to conquest, partly due to other reasons including disease.

MSN’s Encarta considers this a tragedy because of Latin America’s cultural signficance. I suppose the human sacrifice practiced at the time should have been saved. Here is Encarta’s description Aztec religious practice:

“The sacrificial rituals were elaborate in form, calculated according to the stars to please specific gods at specific times. A victim would ascend the steps of the pyramid. At the top, a priest would stretch the victim across a stone altar and cut out the victimâ€™s heart. The priest would hold the heart aloft to the god being honored and then fling it into a sacred fire while it was still beating. Often many victims were killed at once. In 1487, according to legend, Aztec priests sacrificed more than 80,000 prisoners of war at the dedication of the reconstructed temple of the sun god in TenochtitlÃ¡n.”

OK, if we are going to judge Columbus by today’s standards, let’s judge the culture’s he supposedly is responsible for destroying by today’s standards.

Today I was working and therefore could not watch the Yankees/Red Sox game on TV. So I tuned in the radio at work.

Great. I can listen and stay up on the action. Up until about the 5th inning. Then KLZ (I’m naming names here) decided that they would switch to the Nebraska/Missouri college football game (like people in Denver care about Nebraska).

Now I understand they may have contractual obligations to air the Nebraska game – but if you are going to stop broadcasting an event in the middle of the game, don’t start!

And why is no other station iin Denver broadcasting the baseball playoffs then? Sheesh.

Once upon a time, one could tune in a webcast of baseball games. Now MLB makes you pay for it. The NFL does the same thing. If I’m gonna pay, you better at least give me pictures. Why do you pay for a webcast but the same advertising pays for the radio broadcast to a local market?

See, the difference between this and other national figures is that Rush admitted, not denied his problem. We did not hear him say, “I am not addicted to prescription drugs” or even “Well, that depends on what the meaning of ‘addicted’ is”.

On a personal level, I can relate to Rush having to live with chronic pain. Three years ago I was hospitalized for Pancreatic Necrosis – life threatening and very painful ailment. I was prescribed the pain killer Dilauded by IV. After weeks on the drug I became addicted without even realizing it. When the IV was taken off I went through physical withdrawal symptoms.

That doesn’t mean the pain was gone though. For the next few months, I still had great pain from the ongoing condition. Mentally, it becomes very depressing waking up after weeks of pain knowing that it will still be there for the forseeable future.

Thankfully, my wife watched out for me. When I went back to the hospital for another surgery, she made sure that I had limited access to Dilauded as well as monitoring the amount of other pain killers (Percoset) I was given.

Rush Limbaugh has sought help. Of course the political vultures are circling. They are saying that because Rush is not perfect he should not be a political commentator. That is a formula for the destruction of civilization.

When critics say that imperfect people (which we all are) cannot say we should aspire to living to a high standard, then the critics are advocating no standards.

10 years ago today, I was (honorably) discharged from the United States Marine Corps. Whew, 10 years go by quick. My memories of those four years on active duty are as vivid as if they were yesterday.

Humping (hiking for you civilian types) on Camp Pendleton during basic training. Getting “bent”….a lot. Singing the Marine Corps Hymn on the steps of the base Chapel the weekend before graduation.

Partying at the Days Inn in Pensacola, Florida where I attended “A” school. Also, giving the company mascot, Sam, a bath (the smelliest dog…ever.)

….Getting to Guam, working in the communications center – spending Christmas on the ops floor. Drinking rum and Coke in the beer garden in front of the barracks with “Woody”, Mike, “Ding Dong”, and Navy guys like Lee and “Opie” while smart people like “Chief” watched us make idiots of ourselves. Going to the Dallas Club and The Citizen with “Gabby”. Woody low crawling down the hallway (rough night). My friends throwing the biggest party for me when I left the island.

…Getting to Cherry Piont, NC shortly after Gabby. Realizing I hadn’t escaped the humidity. Spending Christmas alone in the barracks (that one sucked). Playing Super Nintendo Hockey and drinking with “Burl” until we couldn’t see the TV screen. Watching Gabby fall asleep after two beers. Driving to Greenville to see Hootie and the Blowfish at The Attic. Dragging a very drunk Rick up to his apartment: “Q-E-D is Q-E-D”. Yes Rick, it is.
And discovering the funniest joke ever:
Rick goes into a bar.
He comes out
…and doesn’t have a ride home.